


A Mermaid's Deal

by Eternal_Love_Song



Category: Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, Deal with a Devil, F/M, Mermaid Sif, Prince Thor, Sea Witch Loki, Sifki - Freeform, warfrost - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 22:25:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11322954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternal_Love_Song/pseuds/Eternal_Love_Song
Summary: Sif makes a bargain. It does not go as planned.





	A Mermaid's Deal

**Author's Note:**

> This is a concept.

The seas were restless on the day that Sif found her way to the sea witch's cavern. The journey to the far off outpost had been frightful in it's silence. The various creatures that would usually linger had hidden themselves from the All-Father's wrath as he stirred the waters and made a frenzy of the currents. She was possessed of some guilt over the matter. She knew that it was because of her that the ocean had become so tumultuous. It was because she had violated the rules that had been governing their kind for eons. She felt some guilt, but not enough to sway her from her path.

The cavern was strangely lit, all things considered. There was an eerie green glow that tinted the walls and the water that ran through left an unnatural warmth around her. It was strange here and she swam forward with caution.

"Who dares!" A unseen voice bellowed. She saw the walls begin to move and slither around her, but she would not be cowed.

Sif clenched her fist to steady herself and called out, "It is I, Lady Sif of Atlantis, that comes to call!"

She realized when the walls opened to reveal blazing yellow hallows, that what she had thought to be the walls of the cavern were not walls at all. It was the long body of some serpent that she had never seen before. Most would be daunted by the sight, but Sif found herself hopeful. If something so unknown could be found here, then surely the rumors were true and this witch had the ability to do feats unknown to any but the All-Father himself.

"Children of the All-Father are not welcome here!" The terrible voice rumbled. It sent chills down her spine and to the tips of her tail fins.

"I have come to bargain with the sea witch!" Sif called, loud and certain.

"What can a little thing like you offer to my father?" The serpent hissed.

"Father?" Sif repeated in confusion.

"I should swallow you where you stand!" It roared and the cavern shook with the words. The mouth of the cave moved toward her and she realized that while she had been turned away, the beast had snuck up behind her. Swimming swiftly, Sif dodged the charging mouth, watching as a long stretch of of scales slithered past her.

"Enough Jor," Another voice called out. "Do not frighten the little thing." Black tendrils rose from the shadows, slowly solidifying into the form of a merman. Half of his black tentacles reached out to stroke the scaled form of the serpent as luminescent green eyes stared at her. "Though she proves herself to be brave, so it may be worth hearing what she has to say."

Sif couldn't help herself from staring. She had never seen men like this in Atlantis. His hair and tentacles were dark as ink and his eyes were too bright to be normal. He was pale, paler than she or any other ocean dweller she had met and much too thin. Sif almost couldn't find her voice as she choked out, "You are the witch?"

"Hmm... Witch they call me now?" He murmured to himself. "I suppose that is a suitable enough descriptor for what I am." The body of the serpent rose up and he drifted down until he was resting upon it.

"What is that?" Sif couldn't stop herself from asking.

His expression turned sour and he looked to the side so that his hair would hide his face from her and cover the expression. "This is my son, Jormungandr." His pale hand stroked the scales fondly as he added, "Your All-Father bound him to this place in his fear and I moved here to keep him company." The glow of one green eye was visible through the black curtain of hair. "You understand being bound, do you not?"

Sif's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "I do..." She answered slowly.

"Now then, what brings a child of Atlantis this far out?" He asked. "What has the All-Father done to drive away one of his precious daughters."

Sif's expression hardened and she swam closer to the man and his beast. "I have seen the world above and had it forbidden to me," She explained. "There are wonders there that I know not how to explain. Things I have no words for and no way to understand. I have seen trinkets the likes of which the ocean can only dream, but I would know more!"

He was fully facing her again, mouth wide in a teeth barring grin. "Speak your desire to me, Sif. Speak and be heard!"

"I want to go above ground! To mingle among the humans as one of them!" She proclaimed. "Witch--"

"No, no," He shook his head. "Call me, Loki."

"Loki, then," She corrected. "I beseech you, make me a human so that I may know the world that lives above me."

"Brave girl," Loki cooed. "You would give up all that you know for a world unknown? For foolish dreams that could turn to nightmares in but a breath? You would give up your family and friends to be an isolated outcast?"

"I would not be alone," She argued. "There is a prince..."

"Ah, of course," Loki said with a shake of his head. "If I had a servant for every maiden that came to me because of a human..." He drifted off, but Sif spied one of his tentacles stretching down to stroke a row of barnacles that writhed on the floor of his cavern. Sif recoiled at the implication and Loki turned his manic grin to her once again. "Well, I'd have a lot of servants, now, wouldn't I?"

She refused to look for more of the things around the cave. She knew that it would be dangerous to attempt and the witch was clearly trying to unnerve her. "Will you help me or won't you?" Sif questioned.

Loki moved closer, tentacles lifting a slab of stone from the shadows of the cavern as he made complicated motions with his hands. Strange symbols began to glow before her, morphing until they became recognizable to her. "You have so very little hope of success," Loki told her. "You cannot comprehend their written word, you do not speak their tongue, you cannot even breath their air, foolish mermaid."

"That is why I come to you," Sif replied. She puffed her cheek out at the condescension, but held her temper. "Your magic is the only thing that could help me in the stead of the All-Father."

"True," Loki answered. He circled around her, stroking her body with his limbs and tentacles both. "And you are in sore need of help."

Before Sif could say anything in response to that, the stone slab was being held up before her, glowing green lettering revealing itself before her eyes.

"This will be our contract," Loki explained. "I'll have to exchange your tail for legs, teach you their tongue, and of course, give you a way to contact me should you get into some trouble or other." Loki looked at the slab contemplatively over her shoulder. He waved his hand and a section of the lettering altered itself. "How about this," He began slowly, "Legs for your tail seems equal enough... I'll trade your voice for knowledge of their written word and..." Loki stared at her critically a moment before reaching out to tangle his hand in her golden locks. "I'll trade your golden hair for a way to contact me, should you need it."

One of Sif's hands went to her throat, the other to her hair. "Why do you need these things?" She demanded.

"Magic is not free," Loki told her. "If you want something, you must give something. So saying, making you human permanently will be no easy feat. I will give you thirty days to claim the heart of the one you love if you wish to remain human. If you fail this task, then you forfeit our entire bargain and your life is mine."

"That's ridiculous!" Sif exclaimed.

Loki shrugged. "I do not need this bargain from you, my lady. It is you that wishes to steal favors. You must be willing to pay for your play. Of course, if you would rather beg your boon of the All-Father, feel free." He began to drift away.

Sif desperately began to debate herself. How important was her voice? Her hair? If she could truly have that which she desired most... To be a human... To be where there was such light! To explore so many abnormalities! She couldn't let this chance pass her by.

"Wait!" She said. "I... I will accept your terms."

Loki smiled as he turned toward her once more. "Oh Sif, my dear, you have chosen ever so wisely." The stone moved closer to her. "Trace your name to seal our deal. Read what I've written, if you must, it says only what we have agreed to."

Sif did take a few moments to look over what was before her. Loki did not lie, she read only what he had told her. Finding no deception, Sif traced the lettering of her name along the stone, watching as a red glow illuminated the lines.

"Take a deep breathe, darling," Loki warned her. Then she felt an indescribable force flood her body and her world went black.

* * *

 

Sif woke up naked with water lapping at her new appendages. She sat up slowly, feeling the sand beneath her body and a gentle cold. Her mind was coming slowly to life, but she realized as she thought that she had names for her experiences. Wind, air, was surrounding her and the cold, something he had been so used to beneath the water, felt harmful to her newly altered body. She curled up in a ball, trying to preserve as much warmth as she could.

She had thought that it would be more... good than this. That she would be more happy. Now she was afraid that she had made a terrible mistake or that she had let herself be tricked. The sky was as dark as the ocean always was. No where could she see the brightness that had lead her here, the strange warmth that had intrigued her before. Had she been sent to some nightmare world instead of the surface?

She could see inky blackness at the corners of her eyes. It took her a moment to realize that it was her hair, Loki's mark. She tangled her fingers in it, finding the texture was so much stranger above water than it had been below. Was that suppose to happen? Had Loki done something more than he'd promised to her?

Now she was alone and vulnerable and confused. Had she been a fool? But she had read over their bargain and it had said just what it was supposed to! This had to be the surface. She tried to cry out and found herself unable to do so. It was then that she remembered that she had no voice in this land.

What should she do?

"Maiden?" Sif tensed at the sound, turning her head swiftly to look over her shoulder. The relief that flooded her made her eyes begin to water as she beheld her prince. He rushed to her side, eyes large and full of concern. "What has happened to you?"

Sif opened her mouth to speak, but nothing happened. Her hand went to throat and she looked at him sadly, lip trembling as she realized how largely her inability to speak would impact her interactions with her prince. Loki _had_ tricked her! He'd tricked her worse than she had thought he could. How could she learn things or blend in if she were voiceless?

Her prince leaned toward her, sliding his hands beneath her and lifting her from the ground. "Come with me," He told her. "I cannot leave you out here alone."

Sif wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her close. She tried to find a way to express her gratitude, opening and closing her mouth despite the uselessness of it.

"Worry not," He assured her. "Whatever happened to you, we can sort it out later. You saved my life once, so it is my honor to save yours."

Sif accepted his aid with some resignation. It chafed to be so helpless, so silent, but what could she do? She had already signed her soul away upon her failure. She had to win the prince's heart if she wanted to keep her freedom.

* * *

 

"How are we feeling, darling?"

Sif's head rose from a pile of blankets as Loki's voice floated from the mirror. She fought her way to the surface of her warm cocoon and sat up in the lush bed that she had been given. She looked across the room to the vanity, seeing his image in the mirror grinning at her.

"Feeling any buyers remorse?" He asked her in a seemingly casual tone.

Sif glared at the mirror, thinking very hard that she was not satisfied with her deal.

Loki laughed. "Well, my dear, perhaps you will become better at arranging bargains in your favor in the future."

Sif looked at the mirror in surprise. Her hand went to her her throat, to her lips, as if confused over whether or not she had spoken.

Loki laughed again. "You sold your beautiful golden hair to contact me and you don't even remember it?" He asked.

Sif hadn't realized that contacting him had entailed...this. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what this was. Was he reading her mind? Did her face give away her thoughts. She could feel her face contorting in confusion, but was that what he would be reacting to or something else? She'd had no dealings with witches in the past, so she didn't really know what to expect.

"Must keep some mystery about me," Loki told her. "Now, on to the real questions! How are your legs holding up? Have you figured them out yet? Any problems or weaknesses other than your lack of skill?"

Sif glared. She still wasn't happy with Loki and she wanted to make that known. Nonetheless, her legs had held her well enough, once she worked them out. Not knowing in what manner he was understanding her, she shook her head in answer.

"Good, good." Loki said. "And are you understanding the humans?"

Sif nodded.

"Excellent!" Loki said cheerfuly. "Now, these delightful devices will be how you may get in contact with me. You'll be the only one that can see me, of course, but if you wish me to appear, I shall. For now, I'll leave you to get your rest. You've a difficult task before you and I'd hate to hold you up."

Sif truly doubted that. But she didn't get the chance to display her objection before the witch vanished from the reflective surface. She sank down into the bed and let out a breath. She had gotten what she'd asked for to the letter. It was her fault those letters didn't form what she truly wanted.

Sif felt tired as she settled in her nest of blankets. Things were so different here than they had been in the sea. They did not even sleep the same way. No matter how many things she piled around her, she could not replicate the comforting feeling of being surrounded by water. This human body of her craved warmth and rejected the cold that she had spent her entire life surrounded by and human eyes were blinded by darkness! What strange creature had she made of herself?

She curled into a ball beneath her nest of blankets, stroking her new legs and missing her tail with an unexpected fierceness. Tomorrow she would get used to this world. Tonight... tonight, she just wanted to sleep.  


**Author's Note:**

> I left it here because I had ideas, but no idea how I wanted to execute them.  
> The end goal is that Sif falls for Loki and not Thor, which does satisfy the deal, but not sure where that would leave Sif. Or Loki, for that matter.


End file.
